How much does a PET preform weigh?

Delta El Nile's public range runs from 9 g (330 ml water) to 668.5 g (19 L returnable). Weight follows bottle volume and application — CSD sits heavier than still water at the same volume because the wall holds CO₂ pressure.

What preform weight do I need for my bottle?

Weight is set by volume, application and neck finish — for example a 600 ml still-water bottle on a 29/25 neck uses about 12 g. Larger or pressurised bottles need more material.

Why are CSD preforms heavier than water preforms?

Carbonated drinks need a thicker wall and base to hold CO₂ pressure, so a CSD preform is heavier than a still-water preform of the same volume.

PET Preform Weight Guide: Matching Gram Weight to Bottle Volume

Q: How light can a PET preform go?

Lightweighting lowers cost and carbon, but every gram removed raises the stretch ratio; past a point you lose top-load and risk stress-whitening, so aggressive weights must be validated against the bottle geometry.

Preform gram weight is the single biggest driver of both bottle performance and resin cost. Pick it well and you balance top-load, burst resistance and material spend; pick it badly and you over-stretch the wall or waste PET on every shot.

Clear PET preforms close up at Delta El Nile for Industry’s plant — PET preforms at our plant. More about our plant →

Weight follows volume — and application

As bottle volume grows, the preform must carry more material to keep an even, blow-able wall. Delta El Nile for Industry’s public range runs from a 9 g 330 ml water preform to a 668.5 g 19 L returnable Co-PET preform. Carbonated drinks (CSD) sit heavier than still water at the same volume because the wall must hold CO₂ pressure.

Weight range by application

Delta El Nile for Industry’s public catalogue maps each application to a weight band, neck finish and resin grade:

Application	Bottle volume	Weight range	Neck finish	Resin IV / AA
Water	330 ml – 19 L	9 – 668.5 g	29/25 · 48 mm · 55 mm	0.76–0.80 dl/g · AA <6 ppm
Carbonated (CSD)	250 ml – 2.5 L	15 – 53.6 g	PCO 1881 · PCO 1810	0.84 dl/g · AA <10 ppm
Edible oil	750 ml – 5 L	17.6 – 84 g	29/21 · 42/36	0.84 dl/g · AA <10 ppm
Juice & milk	250 ml – 1.25 L	11 – 32 g	32/15 · 38 mm	0.76–0.80 dl/g · AA <6 ppm

5-gallon / 19 L returnables run a higher IV band (0.84–0.87 dl/g). Browse every weight in the Product Catalog, or filter by application, neck and volume in the Product Finder.

The lightweighting trade-off

Lightweighting lowers cost and carbon, but every gram removed raises the stretch ratio. Past a point you lose top-load and risk stress-whitening. Validate any aggressive weight against the bottle geometry before committing.

Estimate a starting gram weight from your target bottle volume and wall in the Preform Weight Calculator.
Use the Product Finder to see every weight available for your application, neck and volume.
Check stretch ratios and wall behaviour in the Preform → Bottle Advisor.
Compare candidates on the Compare tool (net/gross weight + packaging overhead).

Worked example

For a 600 ml still-water bottle on a 29/25 neck, the catalogue weight is DEN-WATER-12-29-25 (12 g). Stepping down to 11.2 g (DEN-WATER-11_2-29-25) is possible on a shorter bottle but raises the stretch ratio — confirm before quoting.